Helping with H.O.P.E.

Fri, Aug 21st 2015 10:50 am

Michael O'Connor sits on the porch at his home on Chipman Place in North Tonawanda. O'Connor's home was selected to be painted as part of Project H.O.P.E. by Jesse Gooch of Wheatfield, owner of Painters Plus. (Photo by Jill Keppeler.)

Veteran's home to be painted as part of business
owner's ongoing project

By Jill Keppeler

Tribune Editor

Michael O'Connor
is a survivor.

A host of medical
difficulties, many brought on by his service in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, and
years as a single father have taken their toll, though, and that makes it tough
to keep his home in North Tonawanda spruced up.

And that's where
Jesse Gooch of Wheatfield, owner of Painters Plus, comes in.

O'Connor's home at 27
Chipman Place in North Tonawanda has been selected for the fifth annual Project
H.O.P.E., in which an area home is selected from submitted entries to be
pressure-washed, primed and painted by Gooch, the Painters Plus crew and other
volunteers.

The project, which
will take place at 9 a.m. Aug. 22 this year, was started by Gooch in 2011. He
recalled driving through the city and seeing homes that had peeling paint, and
wanted to find a way to help those who didn't have the resources to paint or
hire help.

"We've been in
business 15 years here, the location we're in," he said. "Our customers have
been loyal to us. We've really expanded. I just wanted to think of a way to
give back."

The criteria for
"Helping Others Paint Exteriors" are that the homeowner involved must be
disabled, elderly, suffering financial hardships, or a disabled veteran, Gooch
said. O'Connor was selected from three finalists from a variety of entries.

O'Connor, 68, said
he's humbled by the helping hand.

"Vietnam veterans
have historically not been well-received in America," he said. "I'm grateful."

Sitting on the
porch of his home recently, O'Connor spoke with pride of the his service in the
27th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Wolfhounds, and his son, Brendan, who
just graduated from SUNY Fredonia.

O'Connor, who has
degrees from Canisius College and the University at Buffalo, went into the Army
and to Vietnam as part of the ROTC right out of college, serving 1969 to 1970,
he said.

"I don't look at
my service as a sacrifice," he said. "I looked at it as a duty."

However, that
service changed his life forever. After returning from the war, O'Connor worked
in hospital administration in the area, including at Children's Hospital, lived
for a time in Germany, then became a rehabilitation counselor.

He remarried and
had a son, but his wife died of cancer when Brendan was just 13 months old, and
O'Connor dedicated his time and resources to raising him.

Today, he said,
he's 100 percent disabled — a cancer survivor himself, dealing with the effects
of Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, PTSD and a host of other issues such as
arthritis, ulcerative colitis and the aftereffects of a stroke.

"I'm probably
going to cry when the people come," he said, noting how impressed he is that
Gooch's project has been going on for five years.

"That's not just a
feel-good thing," he said. "That's a commitment to your community."

Among the
volunteers Saturday will be Mayor Arthur Pappas and other North Tonawanda
officials. Pappas lauded Gooch and his team for their volunteer efforts.

"This is a great
project that helps not only the homeowner, but the entire neighborhood," Pappas
said in a statement.

Volunteers should be at
O'Connor's home by 9 a.m. Saturday. The paint for the project will be provided
by Sherwin Williams of Meadow Drive in North Tonawanda. Good Guys Pizza
will donate food and beverages for the volunteers.

TO
HELP

To help with this year's Project
H.O.P.E., volunteers should arrive at 27 Chipman Place in North Tonawanda by 9
a.m. Aug. 22. For more information, call Painters Plus at 716-693-7587.